Brii Biosciences Limited (stock code: 2137.HK), a China-based biotechnology company, announced on Wednesday that it has dosed its first subject in a phase one clinical trial assessing BRII-297, a first-of-its-kind long-acting injectable (LAI), in development for the treatment of several anxiety and depressive disorders.

This Phase one study is assessing the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of BRII-297 in healthy volunteers in Australia.

The company said that the product, a new chemical entity (NCE) discovered internally, acts as a novel gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor positive allosteric modulator (PAM) with a LAI formulation, engineered to provide rapid, profound and sustained reduction of symptoms, which has the potential to enable therapeutic adherence and convenience for subjects living with anxiety and depressive disorders.

Lianhong Xu, Ph.D., head of Discovery at Brii Bio, said, 'We are eager to continue advancing BRII-297 through the Phase 1 clinical trial and evaluate the potential of our long-acting technology to provide a differentiated treatment option for patients as they navigate their mental health journeys. We believe psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depressive disorders require treatment options that take into consideration of patient insights and preferences, so that patients can get the care they need in a timely and convenient way. Through our in-house discovery, we are thoughtfully designing BRII-297 and other long-acting therapies across our pipeline with the aim of improving outcomes and eliminating social stigma.'